Maxwell's Demon
by InfectedLife
Summary: A cursed bounty hunter, Captain Duo Maxwell has teamed up with the best navigator east side of the universe, Wufei. Just when they've hit rock bottom they get a static filled request to retrieve a missing boy. But this guy isn't your every day runaway.1x2
1. The Shooting Star He Saw

Yeah I know, why is she posting something else again? What the hell is up with this chick? What about The Cursed? Truth is, I'm not exactly having writers block just a writers cramp. Maybe a charley-horse. I know where the story is going, I know exactly what i want to happen, I just can't find the right words to get it to happen. So now I'm posting this thing that I wrote a while ago during all the Serenity movie hype. I never actually saw the movie but the previews created this little plot bunny in my mind that I haven't been able to ignore. I didn't post it earlier becuase of two reasons. One: I already have to other ongoing sotries that need updating so I didn't want to update this one, and two: I noticed a couple other stories that seemed to have similar themes and I didn't want to feel like I was copying them. I haven't actually gotten a chance to read those stories so if someone who has reads this and finds it unbearably similar to another posted story. PLEASE, tell me so I can take it down. I don't want anyone to feel cheated. Well anyway, here's the plot that was eating a hole into my brain until I posted it. Don't worry, it's not like it was something I use often.

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Maxwell's Demon

Chapter 1-The Shooting Star He Saw

In the dark recesses of that infinite thing sometimes called space a lone ship of iridescent white streaked gracefully through the bleak expanse. It was a top of the line spacecraft, as anyone could tell just by looking. It could easily be seen even from a great distance as it swam through the black vacuum surrounding it in elegant arcs and pinpoint zigzags. It was a breathtaking sight, like a single shooting star on an otherwise starless night. Its captain was a man of great integrity and high honor. He walked as gracefully as his ship flew and his voice was that of a kind commander, stern yet affable. It was obvious that he came from a noble line, possibly royalty. But he was humble and smart and his crew was loyal. His mere presence inspired respect but it was the life he led that earned their allegiance. He had been to furthest reaches of space, to the edge of time itself, and had returned a wiser captain and a better man. He had seen that which few have only dreamed of. His mind was rich with things not many would understand unless they had traveled as he had and it made him awe in wonderment at the miracle that was life. He loved his crew dearly and he loved his ship and the freedom it offered him. He took his beloved machine into a wide arc and just for a little fun as he passed a remote floating gas station he pulled her into a tight spiral. Life was his for the taking and nothing would hold him back.

"Fucking show off." The foul-mouthed captain of the spaceship Deathscythe grumbled as he used what little money he had to fill the large tank of his gas-guzzling heap of junk. His long russet locks were plated into an expert braid that hung limply at his back in the windless air. He stared above through the dome that separated him from the certain death that lurked in the vacuum of space and watched the expensive white ship that streaked across the inky blackness. Rich aliens really pissed him off. His body leaned jadedly against the side of his ship while the gas nozzle was locked into place feeding his ancient monstrosity of a spacecraft. He sighed as he noticed some of the paneling to the right side of his head was chipping off. He sighed again when he turned to the left and saw that the paneling on that side was almost gone.

'There's nothing holding this thing together but the rust. Maybe I should have asked Wufei to buy that heavy duty Space Freighter Superglue.' He wondered sarcastically when he saw his raven-haired navigator approaching from inside the gas station with a grocery bag in his hand. He was mildly curious what the severe young man thought was so important that he had to spend their last few credits on it. It didn't really matter though. They hadn't had enough left over after the price of gas, 200 credits a gallon was spaceway robbery in his mind, for anything important like a meal or hotel room. So, if it made his navigator happy their last 50 credits were his for whatever he wished. But that didn't mean the captain couldn't pester his shipmate about it.

"So Wu, what did you buy me?" The taller boy asked drawing his navigator's attention to him. His slim fingers snuck into the brown grocery bag giving in to the curiosity of his young age as he so often did. They were immediately swatted away by a hand equally young but slightly paler.

"Nothing, this is food for that flying rodent of yours so he'll stop trying to bite my fingers off." Wufei arched one dark accusing eyebrow at his captain who had suddenly taken up the hobby of collecting different sized lint from his jumpsuit.

"Come on Wu-man, every great cowboy has a faithful steed err…animal of some sort. And you know that he's got the best nose you've ever seen." Duo smiled warmly, Wufei frowned with disgust. He absolutely despised that little fur-ball and was hated equally as much by the rodent in return. Unfortunately, Duo was right and the damn thing had proved to be very useful even sniffing out some of their most profitable game. There were days that he still wondered how he had become the navigator to a bounty hunter of all things. And not just any bounty hunter, no, he had to go and get himself tangled up with the one everyone feared. The one that would supposedly take any job offered to him so long as the money was good. Yes he, Chang Wufei, of the finest piloting and navigation academy in the entire Equinac galaxy was right-hand man to the notorious Maxwell's Demon, the cursed bounty hunter. Who just so happened to be attempting to yank the end of his braid free from where it had gotten caught on the loose side-paneling of their pathetic excuse for a spaceship. Wufei could not stop his eyes from rolling, such was his life.

"That little monster of yours was born from pure evil." He stated as he stared in disbelief at the cheerful maniac before him, trying to reconcile the image with that of the diabolical bounty hunter the boy was rumored to be. Duo was supposed to be the best there was, he always got his man no matter how difficult the game. If you wanted a guaranteed catch you went to Maxwell. It was supposed to be almost uncanny the way he could track a man. It was like he could peer into their minds and know exactly what they were thinking or where they were going to go. It was even said that the braided boy was actually a demon from the deep outreaches of space with unnatural abilities. Wufei tried really hard to look past the face of the grinning idiot and see where the rumors came from. And for a second there, he thought he had almost had a brain aneurysm.

"Takes after his master, eh?" The young captain said with a cheeky grin that made Wufei's eye twitch three times in quick succession. In the year and a half that Wufei had been working with him, he had yet to see the guy take anything seriously. In fact, he suspected that most of the big game the boy had managed to catch had either been by pure luck or complete accident. Honestly the boy would walk into a bar and just happen to make friends with some huge bounty over a few rounds of whiskey, or there was that time that Duo had that small head on collision with a wanted killer after 'just closing his eyes for a bit' and leaving the ship on autopilot for six hours. In fact, Wufei really had to wonder where the hell all these rumors about Duo had come from and if maybe Duo himself hadn't actually started them. He wouldn't put it past the braided idiot.

"Well you are both equally stubborn and obnoxious, and your brains are roughly the same size." Wufei smirked at the dumbfounded expression on his captain's youthful face and the boy's sudden loss of words. Unfortunately, as Duo's expression shifted from taken aback to amused mock-annoyance, Wufei knew that his cherished silence was about to end.

"Wuffers, you are so pissy when you wake up." The captain's smirk was a mile wide when he saw he had ruffled the dark haired boy's feathers. He mentally patted himself on the back for that little offhand comment, thinking he had not only gained the upper hand but in fact won the war. He was sorely mistaken. But brash young men such as the captain had been putting their foots in their mouths since the dawn of verbal combat, so it was not at all unexpected when the angry youth returned a triumphant smirk of his own.

"Well if you had to wake up every morning and deal with someone as stupid as yourself, you'd be a little grouchy too." Game, set, and match. Wufei: 16,459. Duo: still the big zip. Duo knew he had to stop having these arguments with Wufei before his morning coffee.

"Hey out of the two of us I would be the genius bounty hunter known and feared by all in the universe." Wufei rolled his eyes.

"And between the two of us you would also be the one standing in a pool of expensive gasoline leaking from that crapheap you call your spaceship."

"Shit!" They say that sound does not travel in space so if you were to die in the dark clutches of the great beyond, it would be impossible for anyone to hear you scream. Of course they had never met Duo Maxwell and were unaware that the boy's voice defied every law of physics or logic. For instance it was deeper than most people would guess by looking at the boy's young face, a nice smooth and unexpected baritone. However, in moments of high stress or emotion, that voice could rise through more octaves than should have been humanly possible. And finally, the most mysterious property by far was it seemed to be able to travel through anything. You name it and Duo's voice could break through it. Coffee mugs? Yep. Soundproof walls? Sure. The cold and unforgiving vacuum of outer space? No sweat.

And so it was at that moment the brave dashing captain of the beautiful expensive silvery-white ship once again looped his craft lovingly over the old floating gas station and was suddenly bombarded by the loudest curse he had ever heard from a disembodied voice in the middle of space. So startled was he by the swearing that suddenly barraged his ears and seemed to come from nowhere that he steered his ship in the wrong direction and crashed into an oncoming meteor. This managed to effectively knock the meteor off its path, which had coincidentally been heading directly for the old gas station where the swearing boy was now shouting at the gas attendant. He absolutely refused to pay for the spilt gasoline since it was stupid to not have an automatic shut off device in this day and age. The meteor was just pissed off that someone had gone and run into him without apologizing and offering to buy him lunch.

Oblivious to his near brush with death, the captain of Deathscythe could now be found sitting at the helm of his ship humming his favorite tune from the new rock-techno group 'Black Hole.' His fingers thrummed ecstatically to the beat on the dashboard in front of him, narrowly missing a few buttons that would have either started the cappuccino machine or caused the ship's core to melt. Moments later he was joined by his navigator sporting a new band-aid on his left pointer finger. He glared at his captain as if asking the braided man to ask what happened.

"We need to get a job." Duo whined pathetically and Wufei just rolled his eyes.

"We've had plenty of jobs lately, we need a job that pays. Every man you catch seems to either have his bounty severely reduced or dropped completely by the time we bring him in. Maybe if you would stop becoming friends with them so we could turn them in right away things might be different." Duo just laughed heartily and slapped Wufei on the back.

"But when they finally get out of prison I'll have a hoard of great drinking buddies." Duo's big grin didn't falter once despite the killer glare he was receiving and the exasperated sigh from his navigator.

"I hope they all buy you a drink since you'll be flat broke. And I hope one of them gives you a lift to the bar because this trash-compactor will be lucky to make it to Zephro Minor." Wufei said and kicked the ship's hull. Duo mocked being stabbed in the heart and died dramatically on the ship's control panel. He sat up and stuck his tongue out at his navigator.

"She may not be pretty but she's got heart, man." Then Duo paused as if contemplating something really deep and philosophical. "Do we have anything to eat?" He asked in a very concerned voice. Wufei smacked his forehead, wishing he could do the same to his captain.

"No, food requires money of which we have none. Unless you want to eat that rodent." A strangled cry was heard from somewhere in the ship's recesses and Wufei cursed the animal's acute hearing. He looked warily at the few uninjured fingers he had left.

"Well I suppose we'll have to go hung…" Duo was cut off by the sound of static suddenly filling the ship's bridge. He glanced up at his monitor and was surprised when it flickered to life and the face of a creepy old man with mechanical eyes appeared. One of the eyes adjusted, focusing forward then back again and a disturbing grin pulled at the corners of his wrinkled mouth.

"Are you the demon Maxwell?" The static hazed voice echoed through the ship eerily.

"Some have called me that. What can I do for you?" The man's distorted face twisted slightly then was broken apart by a ripple through the screen's picture. When it came back together the strange look on the old man's face had vanished.

"I have a job for you."

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Ok, now MAYBE I can get something done on either of the other two stories that desperately need updating. Probably not since there's this awful one-shot that's taken up residence in my mind and there's no way in hell it would ever be allowed on And I already pushed my luck with the last chapter of The Cursed. Not to mention, I'd be responsible for the corruption of impressionable youths if I posted that. And I really don't want you guys to start thinking of me as some kind of smut peddler. I think the one-shot will go on my website when I'm done with it then I should be able to re-focus on the cursed, or shakespeare. Jeez, I am the worst author when it comes to updating, someone throw a rock at me. 


	2. The Wizard of Oz

Sorry all, I had already written a bunch for this so I guess this gets updated first. However I have gotten a good lot written for the cursed so that's good right? I had a boulder fly at my head, thank you pandora-chan, and it really got me writing. That and pure fear of Abi2 and her undoubtably accurate aim. Here's the next part and the last bunch I've written for this story. You guys are still more than welcome to throw things at me to get me updating but let's make it slightly softer things this time. Like cookies, I like cookies. Thin Mints are preferable.

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Maxwell's Demon

Chapter 2-The Wizard of Oz

"I have a job for you." Duo shivered despite himself and gripped the loose end of his braid in nervous habit. He wasn't really keen on taking an offer from this guy, but after considering the empty state of their fridge he knew there was one thing that could persuade him.

"What's the price on the head?" He asked and heard Wufei sigh in the back. He turned to the dark haired boy.

"What? Do you want to eat or not?" Duo asked in a slightly guilty tone. He knew Wufei didn't like taking jobs like this. Duo really preferred to do the work of trustworthy guys that were looking for criminals, not the bloodthirsty men looking for revenge. It was pretty obvious that the old man wasn't interested in upholding the law just getting what he wanted at any cost. Well, at least Duo was hoping about the 'any cost' part.

"Don't take this job you idiot. Something's up, even your feeble mind can see that I hope." Duo frowned, of course he could see that, but his ship wouldn't make it much further and they had no food or place to sleep. What choice did he have? There was a loud crashing sound from somewhere in the back of the ship and Wufei snorted.

"See, even your stupid animal knows that this is a bad idea." Duo sighed loudly and gave Wufei his best stern look.

"We've haven't got a choice, deal with it." Wufei glared icy daggers at his idiot of a captain letting the look speak his displeasure with the situation for him.

"Your disapproval has been duly noted." Duo nodded to his navigator and whipped his chair back around to face the monitor as a static filled 'e-hem' echoed against the ship's hull. Duo grinned apologetically and scratched at the back of his head in slight embarrassment.

"Sorry about that. Ignore the brooding alien in the back." He said and Wufei nearly clocked him one. The navigator snorted indignantly and turned back to his computer where he had been programming the coordinates to the nearest galaxy. He started to erase what he had entered figuring that this new job would probably be taking them to far away places. Places he really had no desire to go to. Honestly, the galaxy he had been programming had the planet Jiria on it with blue-sand beaches. He seriously doubted their Mr. Creepy Metal Eyes' job would require them to visit a planet with beautiful blue-sand beaches. There was another electronic cough from the screen and this time it sounded a little impatient.

"You want to know how much is offered on the head of your target by the authorities?" The old man's eye focused out again, like a periscope. Duo grimaced slightly, but he responded with a steady voice.

"Yeah, I've got to make sure this job is worth my effort." He smirked back at the old man in a dangerously cheeky way.

"I see, well I think I should tell you that the boy is worth nothing to the authorities. There is no price on his head." Duo had to pick his jaw off the floor.

"Piss off old man, I don't work for free." Duo reached forward to switch his monitor off, but the sound of the old man's cackling laughter made him pause as a cold chill ran down his spine.

"It is true that he is worth nothing to the authorities, but they are not who seek him. I want you to bring him back to me and _I_ will pay you. Does 5 billion sound good?" The old man smirked and his metal eyes seemed to gleam. Duo tried not to choke but failed miserably, though even in his coughing fit he still noticed how fast Wufei's chair whipped around. Neither of them had ever heard of that kind of money for a job. That tidy little sum could last them both a quite a while. If done properly the next ten years of their lives could be set, hell maybe the rest of their lives if they invested in sure things. Like Alcohol, cigarettes, and shoes.

"I'll assume this means you'll take the job. The requirements are being faxed to you including the first destination you are to report to." And with that the monitor was shut off before Duo could ask the old man any questions. It was only a few seconds before the holo-fax suddenly came to life and a green light shot out the top displaying the job information on a scrolling electronic page.

"This is wrong, Duo. He must be using an illegal line to contact us for it to come through that poorly. I don't like this one, not at all." Wufei commented after skimming the electronic image with a deepening frown. Duo shook his head and shrugged.

"Maybe he's just some really rich grandpa or something. Maybe he's just really worried about some little kid who ran away or got kidnapped. We'd be doing something good by bringing him home." Duo nodded hopefully despite the scowl growing on Wufei's face.

"Well then, Daddy Warbucks is seriously messed up to be hiring a bounty hunter to find little Orphan Annie. And not just any bounty hunter, the _demon_ bounty hunter." Damn Wufei and his logic, Duo sighed in defeat.

"I know Wufei. Look we'll just get the kid, get paid, and then get the hell out of there, okay?" Wufei still looked doubtful, but he nodded as he saved the fax and walked back to his seat.

"I wonder why he wants us to go to Zarkof? I was expecting someplace shady like Marzeppin, but Zarkof? That's kind of ritzy." Duo commented on the odd job request.

"Zarkof. That's close to my home planet." Wufei said suddenly, his face a rare mixture of emotions before he turned back to his control panel. "I'm going to program the new coordinates, you should go check on that flying disease-host of yours."

"Yeah, he's probably pretty pissed at me right now." Duo wanted to ask about Wufei's home planet but it just wasn't something they ever discussed. Neither of them ever spoke of their pasts and he supposed it was probably that mutual understanding of boundaries that made them work so well together. He didn't know why a navigator that came from a rich planet and the finest pilot academy this side of the known universe would want to work for him, and he knew he would never know. Duo had landed on Wufei's planet about a year and a half ago when one of the smaller heads he had been after had escaped there. It didn't take long to find the guy and the bounty hunter was soon on his way. It wasn't until after he had already collected his reward from the authorities that he discovered the stow-away. Wufei was full of pride and insults even when he was hiding in the corner of another man's ship. Duo, of course had instantly taken a liking to the explosive young man with jet-black hair and sharp angry eyes. He was way too fun to tease and argue with. Not to mention Duo hadn't had company in forever, people tend to avoid someone when they're rumored to be a demon. It made him curious what could be on Wufei's planet that was worse to him than a demon?

Duo smacked the red button next to the shiny metal door that lead out of the control room. He barely waited for it to slide halfway open before slipping through into the short silver hallway. He stopped at the second door he came to and it slid open to reveal the ship's kitchen. This was where his hunting-bat could usually be found even though the cupboards were usually empty. He spotted the little creature rummaging around in the brown grocery bag from the gas station. Duo watched with mild amusement as the animal attempted to chew through a small bag of Gorgian nuts. These nuts were the main staple of the planet Gorga and were cheap but tasted pretty good. And his bat loved the little things like they were a special treat from the gods. Duo laughed and ripped open the bag for his little partner who immediately grabbed it back and yanked out a handful of nuts, which turned out to be about two for his tiny paws. The bat frustratingly began trying to crush the little black things on the counter by slamming each one down with his little paws. Duo chuckled as he grabbed a knife from inside one of the drawers and leaned on the counter next to his animal. He received a very nasty and very furry glare for that, until he used the flat edge of the knife to pop open a nut and handed it over to his hairy companion. The bat took the nut in his dark little claws and shoved it greedily into his mouth. He knew humanoids were idiots, but he had to admit sometimes they were useful. And although he didn't like to admit it to himself he did rather enjoy the company of this particular idiot. The dark haired idiot he hated, even if he did buy him food, that one was more temperamental then his owner without coffee.

"Bomber?" Duo inquired of his furry shipmate. The little black bat continued to ignore him except to nip at him when he stopped crushing nuts.

"You too, eh?" Duo sighed and adjusted the little bat's flight goggles that he insisted on wearing. The bat swatted him away and popped another nut into his already full mouth. He glared at his owner with puffed out cheeks and it made Duo snicker.

"Yeah well, you'll all be thanking me when we have a real meal for once." The bat just shrugged, he really didn't care one way or the other. The dark haired idiot had just assumed that he was getting bent out of shape over the new mission. True his hearing was good enough that he had been listening in, but it wasn't the mission bothering him. You try opening a vacuum-sealed Gorgian nut bag without opposable thumbs.

Duo slipped his hand into his back pocket and grabbed his pack of self-light cigarettes slipping one casually between his lips. He ripped the small tab at the end of the stick and watched it spark to life while smoke began to drift into his face. He took a deep bittersweet breath and looked down at his fuzzy companion before shoving himself off the counter. Gray wisps escaped in swirling tendrils from his lips as he decided to leave his bounty-sniffer alone with his meal. Plus, it wouldn't due to have the smoke affecting his flying hound's sense of smell. He wandered back out into the shiny metal corridor with his cigarette still dangling from his lips. He shoved his hands in his pockets and kicked off a little causing him to float slightly in the light gravity field generated by the ship. Bracing one hand on the wall he used it as leverage to round the corner that lead to viewing deck. He hit another button as his feet touched back down and metal shutters quivered then slowly rose to reveal a wall of thick pained windows and an inky black view. In the distance there were sparse patches of stars that he was grateful for. He hated it when they passed through galaxies where there were no stars or they were too far away to see. The utter blankness of it all got to him. Oddly enough it made him feel claustrophobic, like the darkness was shrinking in on him and he would never know until it was too late.

He shifted the cigarette to one side of his mouth and blew smoke out the other with a practiced ease that made it almost seem careless. This job made him nervous and he couldn't put his finger on why. He had taken plenty of jobs from shady types before he met Wufei and not once did his stomach twist into knots like this. Maybe it was some kind of gut instinct, or maybe it was how the guy had called the 'Demon Maxwell.' It had been a hell of a long time since anyone had called him that to his face.

He noticed his cig was getting low but didn't bother to put it out. Instead he pulled his pistol out from its chest strap under his black jacket and popped its cartridge. It was half empty and one of his last, which meant they would have drop by Treize's for some ammo. Hopefully they could get it cheap, and by cheap he meant free, since the smooth talking Weapons Dealer owed him for saving his ass when the fuzz came a knockin' about some rumors of his under-the-counter dealings. A few silent moments later of watching the last of his cigarette turn to ashes and he was joined by a very agitated looking navigator.

"I've checked the rest of the specs for this mission. I hope you have a clean suit." Wufei said as he cams to stand by his captain who was staring blankly out into outer space. Duo plucked the remnants of his cigarette out of his mouth and stared disappointedly at the burnt end. His gaze drifted curiously over to his brooding companion.

"We're going to one of the most famous restaurants on the planet. And for a rich planet like Zarkof that's saying something." Wufei finally turned from the window towards his taller captain who was looking at his cigarette butt like it was a pet who died. Then his face shifted back to that easy grin Wufei was used to and he flicked the last of his smoke into the waste bin in the wall behind him. A light suction caught it and dragged it down with one last pathetic trail of smoke following it. Wufei had to wonder what his captain had been contemplating moments before to bring such a rare serious expression to his face. He knew he would never know. Duo had many secrets, they both did and they respected each other's privacy, it was one of the reasons he knew he would never leave this ship. Duo had a sense of honor hidden in him that was rare these days and he respected it greatly. The captain of Deathscythe turned to his navigator, his friendly smile taking on a slightly unnerving glint.

"Guess where we're stopping by first?" He said with a suggestive wink that told Wufei exactly where they were going.

"Ah fuck, are you serious?" Wufei asked with his frown that drew his eyebrows painfully together.

"Yep, I'm low on ammo and something tells me we're going to need it for this one." Duo flashed him the half empty clip he still held in one hand along with his gun before he slipped it back into its slot and pounded it once to make sure it was in there tight. His gun was old but it felt like an extension of himself and he never missed with it. He heard Wufei sigh next to him and he smirked.

"Fine, I'll add Treize's coordinates to our flight plan but if he so much as looks at my ass I'm lodging a bullet straight in the death center of his brain." Duo laughed hysterically at the dead-serious tone and look on his navigator's face. Duo had his suspicions that Wufei wasn't as adverse to Treize's attention as he liked to pretend he was.

"Well, if that's all settled then I'll be sackin' out. I suggest you get some rest too Wuffers since you have such a long day ahead of you. Good luck avoiding all the ass pinching." Duo smirked as Wufei groaned and turned back towards the wall tapping the button that closed the giant metal shutters.

"You comin'?" He asked, his jet-black pointy tail shining from the backlighting of the corridor he stood in. Duo shrugged as he pulled another smoke from his pack and stuck it to his tongue, which then drew it into his mouth.

"I'll be up in a minute, you can go ahead and hit the lights." Wufei just nodded to his captain and shut out the lights leaving the man standing alone in the dark. The only light coming when there was a sudden spark and the end of his cigarette lit up.

When Duo finally woke up the next morning he could smell coffee all the way from his room on the upper deck of his ship. He could kiss the navigator for brewing up a pot of liquid life for him. This meant that Wufei was already up and must be in a pretty good mood. Duo smirked to himself, yeah Wufei definitely didn't mind Treize in fact he was pretty sure that Wufei rather enjoyed the man's appreciation of him. He didn't bother to put a shirt on as he climbed out of his bunk and headed to the bathroom for a quick piss. His teeth got a cursory once over with some toothpaste on the end of a brush but just enough to get rid of morning breath. He would brush them again later but he hated the way mint toothpaste made his coffee taste. And morning coffee was a lot higher on his list of importance than personal hygiene. In fact it was third just after his cigarettes and getting the last word in all his mock arguments with Wufei. He took the lift down to the first deck and wandered idly into their sterile blue kitchen. He was happy that they had finally decided to paint some parts of the ship to break up that metallic-clinical feel. He scratched his bare chest and smiled when he spotted the dark percolating brew on the counter.

"So what's on the agenda for today Wuffer?" Duo smiled as he picked up the coffee pot lovingly, not waiting for the stuff to finish brewing, and poured a helping of the steaming ambrosia into the largest mug he could find. Wufei grimaced as he watched his captain suck down steaming black coffee with no sweetener at all.

"We should be arriving at Treize's this afternoon, and if you two don't chat it up for too long or get plastered then we should make the dinner by tonight. The job says that we're to be looking for two guys at this thing. Their pictures are in the fax he sent us. It also says that we're already on the guest list so we won't have to worry about tickets. I guess he just assumed we'd say yes." Wufei frowned both at the presumption of their employer and at his captain as he babied his coffee and paid absolutely no attention to his briefing.

"Duo." Wufei said and waited patiently for his captain to respond. Duo blew on his coffee and whispered sweet nothings to the brew. Wufei rolled his eyes.

"Duo!" He shouted and the braided man started a little, frowning then looking up furiously at his navigator.

"Wufei! I almost spilled my coffee." Wufei had to sigh, Duo looked like he just avoided a mortal wound.

"Look, when you're done with _that_," the navigator pointed to the large steaming mug in Duo's hands, "I suggest you go over the job and start taking this seriously."

Duo stuck his tongue out and Wufei had to do his best to not grab it and refuse to let go until Duo got serious about the job. But he knew that would never happen, Duo just didn't work that way. Instead he made his way back to the flight deck where he could make plans on how to not get killed on this job. Unfortunately, with Duo there was absolutely no way to account for everything that could go wrong. The man had a talent for getting himself into life-threatening situations. Thankfully he also seemed to have something of a talent for squeaking out of them alive as well.

A few hours later a still half naked but slightly more bright-eyed Duo Maxwell came wandering into the control room just as they approached Treize's home planet. The planet of Oz was a rich looking place but was infamous for mafias and underhanded dealing. Almost the entire population made their money under the nose of the authorities but for some reason it was just overlooked. It had been that way for so long that now even the cops were in on the dealing. The only thing that could really get you in trouble down there was murder. And even then you only got in trouble if you were _really_ sloppy about it. Treize had a mysterious charm about him and a confident gaze that could turn the head of any woman and quite a few men. Including his current navigator who was looking at him like he was mold under the fridge.

"So glad you could join me captain." Wufei's sarcastic voice droned as Duo took his seat at the helm still wearing just his sweats.

"I had to pry bomber off of me. Apparently the pancake I snaked from the plate of extras wasn't from a plate of extras. Nearly took my middle finger off, the wanker. He knows how important that finger is to me. It's how I end most of the jobs we get." Duo rubbed the sore on his finger before he gripped the control sticks of his ship. Wufei couldn't help but smirk since it was finally someone else nearly losing a finger.

"Well now that you're fed and awake do you mind landing us?" Wufei said in a mockingly casual tone considering Duo had just made it to the helm before they hit atmosphere. Duo shot him a sideways glare before flipping a few switches to prepare his ship for full atmosphere entry. This was what he loved. Piloting his ship was like walking barefoot on broken glass, you had to know when to tread lightly and when to crush the big pieces. Flying in spade was dull work except for the occasional meteor field or warring galaxy. Atmosphere entry, however, now that kept you on your toes. Meteorites were constantly burning up in the intense heat all around you and then once you entered you never knew what kind of weather awaited you.

His ship rocked and rumbled as they hit atmosphere. Through the windows he could see bursts of light like small explosions of lava all around him. Meteorites bursting open in the heat, the heat that he could feel leaking into his ships and warming the soles of his bare feet. He reached up through the sudden increase in gravity and smacked the switch that turned off their artificial gravity so the planet's own could take over. Moments later they exited the harsh atmosphere and entered the sky of the planet Oz. Seeing as it looked like good weather and smooth sailing, he let the autopilot take over and instead kicked his feet up on the dash.

"Don't you think you should get dressed?" Wufei commented from his seat as he unhooked his harness. Duo never cared much for the safety devices, he felt they constricted him and took away from the thrill, so he never wore one. He quirked his eyebrow at his prudish navigator but chose not to comment. He sighed and shrugged in concession before heading back towards the upper deck to pull a shirt and some decent pants on.

He had just barely gotten dressed and found his left shoe when Wufei announced they were docking in an empty airfield roughly forty meters from Treize's gun shop. Duo smirked at the way his shipmate tried to keep his voice completely neutral. In the past few months Duo had found that he was surprisingly able to read some of the boy's language. You really had to listen for it but Duo could tell that at that moment Wufei was trying to either not sound nervous, excited, or both. He yanked his shoe on and stubbed his toe on his way to the lift. Cursing he stumbled back onto the flight deck where he saw his navigator lost in thought and staring at a rather welcoming sight. Being the demon bounty hunter there weren't many places that Duo could go and feel comfortable. Treize and him went way back and knew things about each other that had made their bond incredibly strong. Treize's shop was like a home away from home and smiled seeing the familiar tall form step out from the front door and wave at them. The mischievous grin on his handsome face could only be rivaled by the impish smirk that adorned the braided captain's lips. Wufei looked from his captain to the figure of Treize in the distance and, noticing the equally conniving grins, and swore nastily at his cursed fate.

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That's all for now. Thanks for reading! And thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter and threatened my physical well being for updates. It really makes a girl feel loved. Thank you all again, you guys are awesome.  



	3. In A Galaxy Far Far Away

Maxwell's Demon 

In A Galaxy Far, Far Away

Oz was a desert planet, though you wouldn't know it if you only toured its interior. Its rich cities were completely artificially constructed with the goods from neighboring planets and it had always made Duo nervous to be in such a place. The plants came from nearby Hogar, the livestock came from Udan, hell even the water supply came from Loquaria II. Nothing here was homegrown except the people and that made it easy for them to spot those who didn't belong. And hell, he stood out like a cross-dressing hooker in a line-up of nuns. That's why he loved Treize's joint. The little but famous gun shop was way out in boondocks where the planet was still desert and nobody could find you unless they knew you were there.

Duo stepped arrogantly off of his ancient spacecraft and slipped a pair of old sunglasses over his amethyst eyes. He felt the sun beat down on his face like it was pissed off at him and at the same time he felt that damn second sun pelting his back. There were no shadows on this planet and night only lasted a grand four hours. Both he and Treize thought it was paradise, they figured the less time in the dark the better. He was soon joined by Wufei, who had closed the ship's hatch when he exited. The navigator's face looked as though he had resigned himself to some horrible fate and it actually wasn't that far from the truth. Duo chuckled just slightly but didn't dare more at the fierce glare he received. They began the short journey to Treize's with the blistering heat and the occasional burst of hot wind that sent red dust swirling around into their lungs and Wufei's eyes. Duo tapped his sunglasses mockingly when he saw Wufei wipe at his left eye for the third time and once again the young man's scowl promised swift death.

"Don't even start with me, you're lucky I'm here." The stern youth grumbled under his breath as they entered the short gate surrounding Treize's establishment.

"But you know you're our meal…er explosives ticket. You just shake that sweet little arse of yours and a drooling Treize hands over the goods without question." They had reached the man's porch and Wufei's voice dropped to a dangerously low level as Treize's eyes dropped dangerously low on his body.

"I hate you, Maxwell." Was all he could get out before Treize had him wrapped up in a lingering hug.

"Wufei, I have missed your cheerful disposition brightening my doorstep." Treize said while still hugging the boy in a somewhat inappropriate manner. At least his hands were staying in Northern territory. Duo had a feeling that wouldn't last long when the taller man turned to him and winked before he let go of Wufei.

"Duo, you snarky bastard. Where the devil have you been?" He asked smacking the young captain's back and yanking him into a fierce yet brief hug. Wufei glared death beams at the both them.

"The devil, eh? Ain't you heard the rumors? I _am_ the devil." He had meant it to be something of a joke, but no one laughed.

"If you're the devil then I guess it won't be so bad when I go to hell." Treize offered him a rueful grin.

"Well, none of us are going to hell today. So what do you say Treize, help an old friend out?" Duo's easy grin magically slid back onto his face and it was like the world suddenly righted itself. Up was up and white was white. Wufei felt the tension seep out of his shoulders that he hadn't noticed was there.

"Ruddy Hell, you're broke again?" Treize's slick smile was back in place as he laughingly shoved the two travelers through his door, Duo scratching his head and blabbering excuses the whole way. Wufei stepped through still in awe. He had never seen the two act like that and he was sure it had something to do with however they were connected in the past but there was no way in hell he would ever ask about it. Duo's lapses into the past came at weird times, mostly at night on the ship but sometimes, like this time, all it took was a phrase or a picture and Duo's eyes would glaze and his smile would seem forced or even drop altogether. Those were the times when Wufei actually worried about his captain. But Duo always bounced right back out of it like nothing had happened, like a trained response or a light switch. Sometimes it seemed like Duo was two people and every once in while the Demon Maxwell would peer out through those violet hued orbs. Sure Wufei had some things he'd rather not talk about but none of them caused him real pain like Duo's secrets did.

A sharp pain in his rear jolted Wufei out of his disturbing reverie and he looked around quickly trying to catch the sly bastard but luck was not with him. Treize was already halfway on the other side of the room and looked like nothing at all had happened as he offered Duo a glass of whiskey. And so it began.

They decided to stay at Treize's for the "night" since after they managed to load all their artillery onto the ship it was getting dark outside. The four hours of darkness on planet Oz occurred during the middle of Zarkof's day so it seemed like a good chance to get in a quick nap before the big mission.

Duo had gone on quite a shopping spree considering they had no money but that didn't mean they hadn't purchased their goods. If Wufei's still stinging ass had any say in it, he was pretty damn sure they had overpaid. But he couldn't really complain considering his sore nether region was now being properly cushioned by one of the softest beds he'd been in for months. In fact he even considered banging on the wall just to tell Duo that he was actually kind of glad they came but he didn't. He didn't know why but he was sure it had something to do with Duo using it later to blackmail him or something, or at least turn it into one of his pervert jokes. He was pretty sure Duo'd be asleep anyway with beds this comfy and sleeping in a place he trusted.

Duo, however, wasn't even close to being asleep. He was sitting on the little bench placed under the windowsill so he could watch the dark. He knew in another hour or so it would be light again and then he'd be able to rest easy but there was no way he'd sleep under this moonless sky. He wasn't sure why the darkness didn't bother him on his ship but did on a planet. He supposed it could be because he new every turn, every crevice, and every unwanted crack in his ship and knew that light was just a button away. But out here, everything was unfamiliar and it was so open. Way too open for his tastes it was just like empty space and it made him just as jittery. They were so open for attack and they wouldn't even see it coming. Yeah, he supposed that's what it really all boiled down to. His training, those battles, that whole fucked war. And they had never seen it coming.

He was drawn out of his thoughts by the sound of two voices in the room next to him. The walls were paper-thin and he could distinctly make out the differences between Wufei and Treize's voices even if he had no clue what they were saying. He wandered over to his bed to try and catch the conversation between them that he knew just had to be hilarious. Though when someone moans like that, it usually means there isn't going to be much conversation.

"Bloody hell." He swore when he heard Wufei's keening moan clearly from the next room. He flipped over on his bed and tried to block out the sounds with his pillow but it was no use. Who'd have thought that such a tight-ass like Wufei could make noises like that? He paused and thought back on that sentence, ah fuck, his subconscious was not only perverted it also made bad puns.

How long had it been since he'd gotten a good lay anyhow? That bartender back on Shapier and that was like, what, three years ago? Or did they even go all the way, he was pretty shit-faced and really only remembered some drunken fondling. Shit if he had to think this hard then it had probably been a hell of a long time. God, he wished Wufei would just shut it. This was sick, there was no way he was going to wank off to the sound of his shipmate getting it on with his much older comrade. Really he wasn't, despite what the tent in his pants said otherwise. Well he wasn't until Treize started grunting, and there was this odd rhythmic banging sound, and Wufei started actually begging.

"Fuck it." He didn't even bother to strip his pants off he just shoved one hand down them and got it over with as quick as possible. He finished quickly and silently doing his damnedest not to picture what was going on in the other room. He yanked his pants away as he came in his hand, wrinkling his nose at the mess. Sitting up he yanked his undershirt over his head and used to clean up the mess before letting it slip through his fingers to the floor. It seemed the noises next door had stopped too, thank whatever merciful deity had answered his prayers. He fell back onto the bed and couldn't bring himself to care about moving to pull the covers over himself. He watched the early light of the second sun filter through his window and was suddenly overcome with the need to pass into the sweet oblivion of sleep.

Unfortunately his navigator had other ideas.

"Duo. We need to get going, the portal to Zarkof's galaxy is still two hours away." Wufei's voice boomed through the bedroom door accompanied by a few sharp loud knocks. Duo groaned flopping one arm over his eyes and trying to get back to that sweet borderline of sleep. He was almost there, his consciousness blurring at the edges, when three loud _bangs_ rattled his door again.

"Maxwell, get your lazy ass up!" Wufei's irritated yell jolted him irrevocably from any hope of sleep. He threw himself into a sitting position and flung his feet over the side of the bed.

"Fine already, I'm up so you can stop busting your windpipes." He pushed himself up off the bed and heard Wufei's indignant huff before the boy stalked away. He thought about just leaving his undershirt or throwing it out but he really didn't want Treize to ever find it so, with slight disgust, he pulled the thing back on his body. He held the hem away from him and looked down at the dried up stain on the front with a derisive curl of his lips. He quickly got his over-shirt from where he had hung it on the back of a chair and buttoned it up over the stained one. With one last bone-popping stretch he finally made his way out of the room and downstairs to Treize's shop. Right when he touched the last stair his old comrade was already grinning at him. Damn, of course Treize knew how thin his walls were. So he guessed this meant his buddy was some kind of exhibitionist. He should have fucking left his shirt on the floor after all.

"So where are you guys off to with all that artillery?" Treize's smooth voice washed over Duo's senses and he was pretty sure he'd have a hard time not hearing the man's grunts of pleasure in his subconscious from now on.

"We have a job that takes us to Zarkof." Wufei replied stiffly. A little _too _stiff if you asked Duo. It was obviously all for show since Wufei had no idea how thin the walls were, unlike his smirking counterpart over in the corner there.

"Wait, are you guys going to that big-fat formal thing?" Treize asked and Duo had to wonder if this was going to end as badly as he thought.

"Yes, we're to attend a formal evening to track two of the guests that will be attending." Wufei responded indignantly.

"All the richest men in the galaxy are going to be there. It's only held once a decade." He smirked back at Duo. "I can't believe they're letting you in."

"Funny jackass. I'll have you know I'm just as sophisticated as the rest of the wankers that'll be at this fucking shindig." Duo then proceeded to stick his tongue out at the arms dealer.

"Ah yes, I see that."

"Shyuddup."

"Will the both of you knock that crap off? We'll never make it if we don't go now." Wufei snapped at them irritably. The young navigator watched as his captain flipped off his old comrade who responded by swiftly smacking him in the back of the head. Wufei let out a long sigh, threw his arms up, and walked out of the weapons dealership. Duo turned to the taller man standing next to him and shrugged.

"Who shoved a stick up his ass?" Treize commented with a shit-eating grin worthy of Duo himself. The longhaired man simply sighed, bid his friend a rueful farewell, and boarded his crap-heap to head for ritzier surroundings.

Caviar wishes and champagne dreams? They could shove it all up their asses.

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I don't know why this story doesn't seem very well liked when it's so fun to write. Well except this last chapter it was kinda crappy. Oh well I'm still having fun with it and Heero's soon to make his big debut. yay? 


	4. So Long and Thanks for All the Fish

Another update that took forever. When am I going to finish the cursed? I moved and I lost all my wonderful notes on my great ending so now I keep trying to write it from scratch and it's never right. I hope someday it will turn out alright. In the mean time I'm still playing around with this one.And hey, Heero is finally introduced.

* * *

Maxwell's Demon

So Long and Thanks for All the Fish

"Holy fucking hell, Wufei turn that shit off." Deathscythe's captain groaned around the lit cigarette dangling from his mouth.

"It's a traditional style of music from my home planet. Can you be a little more respectful?" The navigator replied as he prepared the ship for its entry into the Centinial Portal that would transport them to Zorkof's galaxy.

"Absolutely not, that crap's awful. No wonder you ran away." Duo said with an exaggerated puff of his cig.

"I did not run away. And I left for a much better reason than the music, which I happen to like." Wufei did his best to ignore his captain's vomiting noises behind him. Duo was one of those guys that would do anything for a laugh and it only had to be his own.

"Bleh, your taste in music is as bad as your taste in lovers." At this Wufei's face flushed a bright scarlet causing Duo to suddenly screech. Wufei whipped around to see that his captain's mouth had dropped open and the lit cigarette had fallen onto his arm and singed a little round spot of flesh.

"Sorry, I've just never seen you blush before." Duo managed to get out before the beginning of his hysterical laughter.

"I guess my taste in captains is just as bad." Duo gave an indignant huff, then burst out laughing again.

"I'm going to bed, wake me when we're at Zarkof." The braided man said as he pushed himself lazily from the pilot chair.

"What, you just took a nap?" The navigator sighed at his lazy captain.

"That's what you think. You got quite a set of pipes on you in the sack Wuffers." Once again Wufei found himself beet red and Duo laughing all the way to his quarters.

"Ugh, he just put it on autopilot again, stupid lazy bastard." Wufei grumbled to himself alone on the ship's flight deck.

Once in his quarters Duo flopped immediately onto his bed without bothering to strip down or anything. All he wanted to do was relax his muscles and separate his mind from all the memories seeing Treize brought back. The only way to do that was with a good long nap in a place he trusted. And his ship was the only place in the galaxy he felt safe. Unable to resist the temptation Duo flicked off the light switch next to his bed and flicked the switch next to that one to open the metal shutter of his window. For some reason he just felt more relaxed when he could see outer space. Something about the great black abyss called to him, or maybe there was something or someone out there in the blackness that wanted him, needed him. Whatever or whoever it was, it felt like home. He fumbled around in the front pocket of his pants and fished out one bent cigarette from his crumpled pack before lighting it and letting his thoughts drift back to his inky surroundings. And that's where his navigator found him a few hours later when they were just moments from docking outside the ritzy restraint on Zarkof. He was fast asleep with his head tilted towards the window and that cigarette still hanging out of his mouth, though now it was just a column of ash dangling precariously from his snoring lips.

"Duo, wake up." Wufei grabbed his captain's shoulder and shook him none to gently, which turned out to be a surprisingly bad idea. Like a flash pale lightning an arm shot out and grabbed hold of Wufei's wrist, tight enough to bruise.

"Shit, that's some grip." Wufei tried to wrench his hand free but it was no use. For a slender guy Duo had unbelievable strength. As the crushing hold tightened there was suddenly a high pitched screeching as Bomber came zooming into the bedroom and landed right next to Duo's ear still making that terrible noise. In a flash Duo woke up and released Wufei's arm. He was disoriented for a moment but soon realized that he must have nodded off.

"Well hello sleeping beauty." Wufei commented dryly while rubbing his bright red wrist.

"Sorry buddy, did I do that?" Duo's braided head inclined towards Wufei's numb hand. Wufei shrugged.

"Bad dreams?" He asked his captain though he knew the man was too private for a question so personal.

"Something like that. Looks like my alarm clock still works. In the old days this little guy would alert me of any danger to my ship. That was before I found a stowaway navigator who fixed all my electronics." The little bat nodded haughtily before taking flight out of the room.

"I didn't fix them, I replaced them because they were total shit. Anyway, we're docked and we need to get ready to infiltrate this thing. Here." Wufei shoved two pictures into his sleepy captain's hands. One was of a petite blonde with a warm smile and sparkling teal eyes. He looked like he held all the knowledge in the world and yet was still as innocent as a child. The other photo was a slender but stern looking young man with soft ginger-brown hair and a serious lack of expression on his face.

"These are the kidnappers?" The young attractive faces baffled Duo, especially considering the wrinkled madman who had given him this mission.

"I guess those are them. I really dislike this one Duo but we've come this far I suppose we might as well check it out." Wufei turned to go get ready for the elegant party they were about to attend.

"Wufei." The way the captain said his name had sounded so poignant and grave that Wufei had to turn around. His captain's head was bowed in deep concentration. Then it slowly lifted as though an incredible thought had just occurred to him.

"The food at this thing is free isn't it? I better wear a coat with big pockets." Wufei blinked, then blinked again. Duo's face was so serious it was hard for the young navigator to stop himself from just standing there in awe.

"Idiot." He finally huffed and left his captain's room with that same feeling of doom, though it had now doubled. Duo just shrugged at his grumpy shipmate before pulling himself out of bed to get ready too.

They had no trouble getting in even though Duo half expected their tickets to be fakes. It looked like the old man was legit, creepy as fuck, but serious about the job. They had found their seats were at a finely decorated table near the back away from the ornate stage upon which stood an enormous dais and podium.

"I guess this thing really is fancy. Damn, I guess I'll have to get rid of my ciggy. I hate ritzy shit." He popped the half smoked cigarette out of his mouth and dropped it in a champagne glass on a nearby table. Four minutes later an elderly woman let out a small scream when she took a very ashy sip of her once delightfully pink drink.

Ignoring the odd gurgled screech Duo once again let his eyes wander around the elaborate stage. Shit, there were going to be rich people speeches. He really hated listening to the privileged go on and on about their petty affairs. Wufei took a seat at the table and immediately began to scope out their targets while Duo took it upon himself to raid the appetizer buffet for the both of them. Honestly, only the rich gave away free food before they served free food. It meant nothing to them, but a full tummy meant a hell of a lot to the Deathscythe's captain. Before he became a bounty there were more than a few nights he spent with a painfully empty stomach. It was what drove him to such an extreme career in the first place. When Duo finally got back to his seat he could barely balance the two heaping plates in his hands.

"You're a pig and you're going to blow our cover." Wufei whispered harshly to his captain, but Duo just chuckled and popped a small brownish pastry into his mouth.

"Does this mean I don't have to share with you?" Duo laughed again while he washed down the pastry with a glass of expensive wine. Too bad all these richies were to concerned with looking good in front of everybody to really enjoy all the great shit they had.

"Like hell, pass me that plate and watch your fingers." Wufei grabbed one of the heaping plates and, with as much dignity as he could muster, shoveled his face full of bite-sized appetizers.

"Now that's what I'm talking about." Duo said and clapped his navigator on the back with pride. Wufei huffed indignantly then continued to choke on a stuffed Zarkovian mushroom. He finally got it down with a big gulp of wine and a surprisingly loud hiccup.

"Anyway, while you were tending to your gut I spotted our little kidnappers over by the stage. They're talking to that girl dressed up like Princess Peach." Duo searched the crowd where Wufei's head had inclined and sure enough there was a girl in a big pink Barbie dress talking to both of their guys. It was kind of convenient that the two hadn't split up, which probably meant they weren't aware they were being followed. That was good, it would be easier to find little orphan Annie if they had the element of surprise.

"Looks like they're heading this way buddy." He watched as the girl bowed and glided behind stage while the two boys marched over to their table. Obviously the old man had set this up, he was way to clever for Duo's liking. If he was that smart why couldn't he have found this kid on his own? What did he need the help of a bounty hunter for? He elbowed Wufei in the side. "I think dinner's about to begin."

"I swear food is all you think about." Wufei managed to grind out before the two boys along with another dignitary couple joined them at their table. Within a minute the girl in pink stepped out on stage and took her place behind the podium.

"Good evening everyone. I am Queen Relena, ruler of Zarkof. In these desperate times I thought it would be best if we were all able to gather together to find a solution to the unexplainable new terror. You are all the most powerful men and women from your respective galaxies and combined I'm sure we can squash this uprising on all four corners of the universe. But first, let us enjoy this wonderful banquet before more serious discussions are in order." The girl then stepped down and took her seat as head of the large table in front.

"Honestly, I didn't see that one coming. She sounds a lot smarter than she looks. Well not hard to do I guess, but still I'm a little impressed by the little princess." Duo commented as he watched the waiters like a hawk while they paraded around with enormous trays of food.

"Yes, Relena does surprise people. She has to it's the only way to get their attention these days. Everyone's so used to the nobles droning on about unimportant things that when you have something important to say you have to shock people to get them to listen to you." The young blonde kidnapper whispered to him so that the other rich couple couldn't hear. Too bad he was hunting this guy, he kinda liked the blonde in a cute little brother way.

"She's very naïve about the Universe but her immature words often spur real debates and real solutions. She's an idealist and while nothing she says in itself has much value it gets the more experienced people thinking in new ways. And that's why we support her, because without her we'd still be going in the same old circles of doing nothing then jumping into full on war." The taller of the kidnappers commented. They were quite intelligent for your everyday criminals. They would have to be, he supposed, to stay hidden from that creepy old dude.

"You two sound like you've been to a lot of these things." Duo said nonchalantly, friendly banter was the easiest way to get information out of someone. Honestly, all those guys that think torture will get you to talk ought to take some dude to a bar once and chat it up. Eventually you'll learn everything you need to know.

"Yes we are unfortunately in the upper circle and are required by etiquette to attend all formal conventions we are invited to. Plus we're slightly indebted to Queen Relena." The blonde continued, but a swift harsh look from his taller companion shut him up and told Duo he had stumbled upon a bit of juicy info. So innocent little Queeny over there was involved in a kidnapping, but how much did she know? Duo had a feeling it would be harder to crack the young girl than it seemed and he was probably better off just sticking as close to these two as he could.

"Yeah, this is my first one. I'm what they call 'new money'. Struck it rich over in Beelzer selling unusual but incredible realistate. People will buy anything these days." Wufei groaned a little at Duo's excuse for them being there. It couldn't be a simple story, no, it had to be one that'd spur all sorts of hard to answer questions. The idiot.

"Forgive my partner he's a bit long winded and forgets his formalities. Let me introduce us. I am Wufei Chang of the Equinac galaxy and this is Duo Welling." Duo paused for a second and almost frowned at the change in name but then remembered that almost everyone recognized the name Maxwell and they would have instantly been caught. Good thinking Wufei, but seriously crappy pick for a last name.

"Oh goodness, you're right Mr. Chang I've been awfully rude. Let me do introductions as well." The blonde laughed but Duo just snorted.

"Don't worry about my uptight little friend here, eventually we would have gotten around to names geeze." Duo laughed at the indignant look on Wufei's face but it made the blonde smile. A richie who hated everything about the rich. He really could get to like this guy, man this mission was sucking more and more.

"Well since I was going to anyway. My name is Quatre Rebarba Winner and this is Trowa Barton." He smiled and laughed at the look on Duo's face.

"Whoa kid that's quite a mouthful, I think I'll just call you Kat." The blonde smiled so wide that it reached his eyes and Duo had a feeling the guy had never had a nickname before.

"I'd really like that." The blonde chuckled and toasted Duo's wine glass.

"Finally someone who enjoys nicknames, unlike Wuffers over here." Duo taunted the poor navigator.

"I hate you." Was all Wufei bothered to respond.

"Wufei I have no time for you to profess your undying love for me, dinner is served my friend." And not another word came from Duo's mouth until his plate was empty for it spent the entire evening stuffed to the limit with damn good food. It wasn't complaining though really, since it got to enjoy all the flavors while the stomach did all the work.

When everyone had finished their meal and the last bits of dessert had been licked up, Queen Relena took her spot on the podium again. The room was instantly silent and all eyes were on the young dignitary.

"Everyone, a new threat has arisen in space. This force is unlike anything we've had to face in the past. These beasts are unnatural. They seem to kill for enjoyment, but this is not so. I strongly believe that they merely wish us to believe that. I am sure that there is a method to their killings. They are searching for something and we must not give it to them. I think the only way to deal with this threat is to negotiate with it. We must somehow reach the leader of these creatures and bargain with him. Surely he will tell us what he wants, for it is easier to get answers from a living being than from a corpse. What we need is a team of all your best warriors to face these things and barter with them." There was an instant uproar to these words but the Queen merely smiled at them and encouraged debate. Old men wanted full out war, young men wanted a sneak attack. There were plans to gain the creature's trust then destroy them from the inside. Duo listened to it all with disgust before popping out a cigarette and scratching a match along the fancy table to light it.

"You know you're Queen's great and all but she totally forgot the first rule of war. Know thy enemy. I know the creatures she's talking about. They're called Creadites and I've never seen anything like what they do. The bodies they leave can't even be called bodies anymore they're more like heaps of wreckage. I know it's probably hard for the princess to believe that any creature is capable of such evil but I fought these things in the last war and evil is all they know. They're not a new threat but they did use to confine themselves to the older, dying, galaxies. They're numbers are small and they don't need many resources so I don't know why they would come out into the open like this. Unless she's right and they're looking for something." Quatre's slight wince was all Duo needed. The blonde knew what the Creadites were after, and the kidnapping probably tied into it somehow.

Wufei noticed the dark shade his captain's eyes had taken on but didn't comment on it. Duo very rarely mentioned his time in the war but from those few times Wufei had gathered that whatever went down must have given Duo this uncharacteristic dark side. He looked around the table and knew instantly that the two other listening occupants were putting two and two together. It was Quatre who could not hold back the question that Wufei had had in his mind that fateful first meeting of his captain and the unbelievable past he spoke of.

"That's impossible, the last Universe-wide war was over fifty years ago. You don't look older than twenty." The blonde was stunned that someone would so blatantly lie just to insult Relena. True the girl was every annoying cliché that one would imagine a young Queen to be, but she still wasn't a bad person. He thought Duo had understood that. Then he paused and really looked into the unusual man's eyes and saw a distance and a sadness that was somehow masked by the cheeky grin. Maybe, maybe the man wasn't lying after all. But how could that be possible? He wished that he could get a chance to know this man. Something in his heart told him that a strong friendship would form if just given the chance, and his heart was never wrong. Unfortunately, right now he and Trowa had too many enemies to be making friends with strange grinning men. So despite how much he wanted to know this unusual character, he knew his mission was too important to take risks now.

Desert was served but the room wasn't quiet like it had been during dinner. The uproar of Relena's announcement was growing stronger by the minute and even Duo was having a hard time concentrating on his brown goopy hill. He glanced up and saw the man named Trowa lean in and whisper something to his blonde companion. When Quatre looked solemn and nodded in return Duo knew that the boys would be making their escape during the commotion. Now the hunt really began.

Quatre, ever polite, made some excuse about it getting late and having a long fly home then left quickly but not too quickly to be conspicuous. These two were good, where one lacked the other made up. No wonder it was hard to catch these two, maybe the old man was smart to send in an outside party for this job, and unfortunately for Quatre the geezer had gotten the best. It wasn't long before he and Wufei were making their way out of the fancy joint and sneaking off to grab the valet for a little questioning. After some persuasive growling from Wufei they found out that their wayward couple were friends with miss Relena and often attended galas at this location. The valet was even on friendly terms with the two and knew that they hailed from a planet called Hyule, but spent a lot of their time on a bar in the Yugor peninsula on the planet Cayott. In fact, he told Duo, they were supposed to stop by the old bar tonight after the gala.

"Now Cayott is the kind of sleazy planet I would have expected for a job like this. All that rich shit was starting to get to me anyway." Duo commented from his lounged position in the captain chair.

"Yes I see you've already managed to find those ripped up sweats you're so fond of." Wufei scowled at the offending article of clothing then got right back to maintaining their course to Cayott. The planet had a rough atmosphere and he would have to manually land them somewhere in the vicinity of the Yugor peninsula. Not too difficult, but could go wrong if he allowed himself to be distracted by his captain's tendency for theatrics.

"Hey, they're comfy and they don't expose anything too classified." Duo smirked, winked and tugged at a pant-hole precariously close to something that Wufei would rather remained classified information. The navigator couldn't hold back the abject groan of horror.

"How do you think those two got mixed up in something like this? They're such nice guys…" Duo pondered aloud.

"The only answers we're going to get are from them and we're approaching atmosphere so go put on some pants and buckle in." Wufei instructed his captain who in turn shrugged and dragged himself out of his chair.

In his room Duo decided that a cigarette was calling to him more than a pair of uncomfortable pants. He lit up and took a drag half a cigarette long. He couldn't figure out how a couple of good guys, especially that Quatre, got caught up with that scary old dude. Why would they feel the need to kidnap? Duo had a feeling he was on the wrong side but if he wanted the money he should probably stop reconsidering his position and just do his job. He knew how hard this was for Wufei, the guy had morals like you wouldn't believe for a stowaway, so the quicker they finished this job the better. At least for his navigator's psyche. Cigarette and pondering done, he fished out a pair of black pants and a tougher looking black muscle shirt that better suited they're next destination. Duo strolled back out and took his seat just moments before the ship entered atmosphere. Wufei sighed but gripped the helm and took Deathscythe down into the rough winds in the general direction of the Yugor peninsula.

They landed in a gritty area and for once Duo could have boasted about his crap-heap of a spaceship. Mostly because it was surrounded by ships that looked like they couldn't even fall apart properly. At least his could manage to do that. The bar was just a quick hyper jump away, it was a good thing he still had some change. Wufei followed him into the warp tube and before they knew it they were standing in front of the bar.

"God I hate those things, convenient though they may be." Duo moaned as he gripped his churning stomach.

"It is rather like fishing." Wufei gurgled out.

"What's so bad about fishing?"

"Ask a fish."

"Oh. Shall we go inside?" Duo asked his navigator who, in his opinion, had suddenly grown a sense of humor that he didn't quite know how to respond to. The inside of the bar was like something out of a nightmare. Monstrous aliens from all over the dodgy, crime-ridden sectors of the universe sat and gulped down thick slimy drinks of putrid color and smell. And there in the middle of it all sat a young man, correction, gorgeous young man who drank something light and bluish. Duo's jaw nearly hit the floor. Screw the mission he wanted to screw this guy. But that was when the shit metaphorically hit the fan. From another side of the bar Quatre and Trowa appeared and, much to Duo's grave disappointment, walked over and sat at the same table as his potential bedmate.

"Damn." Duo grunted under his breath, but it caught Wufei's attention.

"What?"

"You know Orphan Annie? Daddy Warbuck's forgot to mention something when he told us to find the kid." Duo commented while lamenting the loss of the man he never got to have.

"Yeah, what?" Wufei asked bored with Duo's theatrical build up. He wished his captain would just spit it out. And that's when he saw them, the two kidnappers and their little stolen orphan. Who wasn't little, but a grown man and one that Wufei was sure had Duo drooling all over himself.

"Well, Annie's got a nice ass for one thing. And two, he's got a really nice ass." Duo wandered idly over to the bar, his eyes never leaving the mysterious young man. He was captivated.

"Duo stop ogling our paycheck." Wufei warned but his captain was already wadding his way over to the where their kidnappers sat, his drink swaying precariously in his hand.

"Hey, I didn't know a couple of nice guys like you hung around sleazy joints like this too." Duo said with ease as he waltzed up to the boys' table and smiled at Quatre. He tried desperately to ignore the icy gaze of the dark haired young man but it was awfully hard when it managed to burn holes into you. Wufei merely shook his head and followed his captain's lead despite knowing that this would all lead to trouble.

"Oh Duo, what a coincidence. I am glad though I thought I'd never see you again." Quatre smiled back politely but suddenly looked nervous and Duo picked up on some warning signs coming from Trowa. So the tall one was on to him already. Well that would make life a little more difficult.

No way Kat, we're going to be seeing a lot of each other in the near future." Duo's sly grin changed the entire atmosphere of the table. Trowa tensed and took Quatre's elbow as if ready to bolt, but it was the young mystery man who shocked them all the most.

"So J sent you after me, that's fine. You don't stand a chance so leave now." Duo would have been intimidated if he hadn't been so distracted by the deep nasally rumbling that was the boy's voice. Instead he flashed his biggest shit-eating grin and looked the boy right in the face.

"You don't really know who you're talking to buddy. There's a large paycheck that I can't pass up for turning you over to the geezer. So come quietly and I won't have to rough you up." This time Quatre stepped forward.

"I thought so highly of you. How could I have been so wrong? Duo! I know this isn't like you. Don't do it. Please! For the sake of us all." Duo was taken aback, the words cut him deep, and those watery pleading eyes didn't help one bit. It was just a job, he repeated to himself, just a job. But in his lapse the mysterious young man beside him decided to take matters into his own hands.

"Get out." He barked at Trowa who, in turn, tightened his grip on Quatre and started running for the door. Wufei was too quick though and blocked their path. The boy once again took advantage of the situation, this time he socked Duo across his jaw. The young captain reeled back but instead of dropping to the floor like it seemed he was about to, instead he spit a little blood and smirked at the slightly wide eyed mystery man.

"Looks like Annie has a nice left hook too." He mumbled and the boy looked confused but his gaze almost immediately shifted to behind Duo. It seems the hunter had knocked over the drink a very large gray alien while he had stumbled, and said alien was about to smash said drink over Duo's head. Before the braided boy could even think the mystery boy had made a huge leap, pushing himself off the table he managed to land a bone shattering kick into the alien's chest. The dude was out for the count.

"Thanks for sparing me that move." Duo commented as the entire bar broke out into a brawl. The two took off toward the door and almost ran into the rest of the party when they finally got outside.

"I swear Maxwell, screwing me to hell is your hobby. I nearly lost my head in there. Great bounty hunter my ass. You're a fool with a gun and a ship." Wufei hollered as they all ran for the hyper jump portal.

"And a bat!" Duo laughed and put on a little extra speed to get away from the bounding aliens that were hot on their trail.

"I think you like this you maniac. My death was sealed when I became your navigator." Wufei swung himself into the portal first and was quickly joined by everyone.

"You got to admit, I never let you get bored." Duo smirked and Wufei groaned right before they hyper jumped out of danger.

And straight into more danger.

"Oh no our ship." Quatre wailed when they finally stopped in the parking lot. The expensive ship in which he and Trowa had arrived had been scrapped for parts by the locals. They probably never saw such fine craft come down this way. It was like waking up on Christmas morning for them.

"Looks like you'll have to ride with us." Duo smirked devilishly.

"Absolutely not." Trowa finally spoke up. "You're the demon bounty hunter Maxwell. You don't care where you get your money you'll take any job and accomplish it by any means. You'll probably kill us once we board and lock Heero up." Duo should have been insulted but all he could think was that his mysterious little Annie was actually named Heero. How appropriate.

"Look I've worked with him for a while and He's not like that at all." But Wufei never got a chance to finish his sentence before Quatre suddenly jumped out of skin and gasped. This instantly grabbed everyone's attention.

"Duo's not the only one who followed us." He said quietly and Trowa glanced up and froze. Duo looked around but all he could see where some guys in uniforms but they didn't look too scary. How many guys did the old geezer have looking for this kid? Duo wasn't very fond of rat races for his paycheck.

"Where's your ship?" Trowa asked and Duo was a little taken back, apparently the demon bounty hunter wasn't as frightening as the guys dressed like trash collectors.

"Now! Go!" Trowa belted and Duo nodded and took off in the direction of his craft, once again being pursued.

"You'll have to tell me who the hell is following us when we're somewhere safe." Duo said as everyone boarded the Deathscythe. He and Wufei took off immediately to the bridge and Wufei released the navigation to manual control.

"Sorry buddy but this may require dangerous maneuvering. You better hand her over." Wufei would normally have had his pride hurt by that comment, but he had seen his captain fly and in sticky situations he was damn near positive there wasn't a better pilot in the galaxy.

"Alright where can we go?" Duo yelled out to anyone who might have an answer as he pushed the old girl up into atmosphere.

"Relena has hidden us before, I'm sure she would again." Quatre commented though the other two of their group of three didn't look too ecstatic with that idea. They all buckled up as Duo hit the planets turbulent atmosphere. Everyone except Duo, and much to the captain's surprise, Heero too.

"Sorry Kat, it's a good idea but going there now would endanger the little Queen greatly and I'm sure you don't want the weird trash men using her to get to your little friend. At little friend Heero grunted which made Quatre chuckle for a second nut hen the seriousness of it all hit him. They really couldn't hide at Relena's, not with these guys chasing them. They might kill her, or worse.

"We need a lot of room to lose them and we need a path now. I hate to pry but Wufei, but isn't your home planet near by?" Duo tried an apologetic smile but it didn't work on Wufei, he only had one response.

"Ah shit."

* * *

Thank you everyone for reading and putting up with my yearl spaced updates. It's getting ridiculous. Life gets that way though. Jaa mina-san. see you next chapter...sometime 


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